January 11, 2008

Obsessive Creativity Disorder: We can hardly control ourselves!

"My darling girl, when are you going to realize that being normal is not necessarily a virtue? It rather denotes a lack of courage!" --Alice Hoffman, Practical Magic

Do you ever find yourself in the midst of a Obsessive Creativity Disorder -style creative frenzy and suddenly do something so bizarrely normal that no one believes you did it? How often do you ask yourself, "What was I thinking?"

Sophie and I cleaned out the armoire in the room-formerly-known-as-the-dining hall. I'm not saying that this doesn't happen often but this is the armoire Joe Thomas was found in--alive--after he had been missing for three or four days.

Understand that this is groundbreaking. Ornate Bavarian dinner plates, full services of silverware, centerpieces and requisite food is more likely to be painted on the table top than to have something colorful removed.

Babette's Feast has been on my mind for the past week--possibly fueling some sort of Gustavian fantasy where my life suddenly becomes cool, ordered and serene. And my upholstered furniture is all professionally linen-covered and frumpled.

Professionally frumpled. Now that's some kind of goal.

And the wood furniture is stripped and waxed or painted a rainy Scandinavian grey.

Is there a possiblity that I have Seasonal Affective Disorder and I'm secretly getting depressed?

Who am I kidding? I think I'll get Bob to finish stripping it so the surface is even. And then maybe I'll vinegar paint the table top next week.